Organic waste presents both a challenge and an opportunity for sustainable development, especially in municipalities with underdeveloped infrastructure. While Germany has made significant progress in organic waste separation and composting, Kosovo, particularly the municipality of Viti still lacks structured systems for biowaste recovery. This project investigates how composting practices in Kirchhain, Germany, can inform scalable organic waste solutions for Viti and similar municipalities.
The research employs a phased methodology, beginning with a literature review and the development of stakeholder-specific questionnaires to understand organic waste handling in Kirchhain. Stakeholder groups include city officials, NGOs, waste management firms, households, and farmers. Key findings show that Kirchhain processes 46% of household waste as biowaste using anaerobic digestion and composting, while Viti has minimal separation, poor landfill conditions, and significant illegal dumping.
The second phase will explore more complex composting systems such as biogas generation, evaluating their technical and institutional feasibility in Kosovo’s municipalities. Micro and macro-level factors like population density, infrastructure, and agricultural integration will be assessed.
By combining qualitative interviews, waste sampling, and comparative data analysis, this research aims to produce actionable recommendations for implementing decentralized and scalable composting solutions in Kosovo. The study bridges a critical knowledge gap by aligning tested German practices with local needs in Kosovo, offering a transferable framework for sustainable biowaste management in developing municipal contexts.